Direct Energy Unveils First-of-its-kind Itemized Electricity Usage for Residential Customers

HOUSTON, July 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Direct Energy today launched the second phase of Direct Your Energy, which includes the first-ever online dashboard detailing customer usage according to the appliances and products in their homes, as well as showing weather patterns, home comparisons, temperature set point overlays, personal alerts and recommendations, and much more. Videos showing each feature of this new dashboard are online at https://www.directenergy.com/direct-your-energy.

"At Direct Energy, success means our customers are empowered with the knowledge to use less energy," said Manu Asthana, president, Direct Energy Residential. "Would you buy a bag of groceries without knowing what was in it? Just like you get a receipt that shows you how you spent your money, Direct Energy now features a new user experience that will help our customers better understand exactly where their energy is being consumed. This is unlike anything else currently available in the market today."

Using live customer data from smart meters, Direct Energy can now provide a detailed account of a customer's energy usage. This means the total amount spent at the appliance level, such as air conditioning, will be shown. It is an innovative alternative to sending a bill with only the total usage in kilowatt hours, which is an abstract measurement for most consumers.

Another new feature in the second phase of Direct Your Energy is a home comparison of a household's energy usage. This information relates a customer's usage compared to other homes within the same zip code with similar appliances, home amenities, and usage patterns. Customers will also receive personal alerts and recommendations based on their usage behavior. For example, "Amanda, your water heater is consuming 56% more electricity than normal, costing you an additional $16.35 this month."

In case repairs or other energy-saving services by certified technicians are needed or recommended, the Direct Your Energy dashboard also conveniently provides contact information for companies within the Direct Energy family of brands that offer relevant services. The companies featured include Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, Mr. Sparky and One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating.

Another feature, the Home Profile survey, gives customers the option of providing additional information on home amenities and appliances to help improve the accuracy of energy usage forecasting and email and alert personalization. The goal is to help a customer better understand not only how their overall energy usage compares in relation to other similar homes, but also to give insight into how much their appliances consume compared to appliances in homes of a similar size.

Energy-saving tips will periodically show on the user dashboard and be sent via email to notify a customer when more potential savings are discovered. These features are in addition to  those available in phase one of Direct Your Energy.

Direct Your Energy can now be seen online by customers in Texas when they log in to MyAccount, the online customer account tool where customers can manage their energy account, pay energy bills, track energy usage and get personalized insights, recommendations and offers. Direct Your Energy will continue to roll out new features going forward, based upon customer engagement and feedback.

This new customer online interface is part of Direct Energy CEO Badar Khan's vision to become the company that ushers in the golden era of the consumer in the power industry through consumer education and new technology. A slate of new advertisements recently launched through a variety of mediums, including television, radio, billboards and digital ads, illustrates Direct Energy's new tag line "Live Brighter," with a brand promise to "help you buy less of what we sell." Future products and services will reflect this new company approach.

About Direct Energy
Direct Energy is a leading energy and energy-related services provider with nearly five million residential and commercial customers in North America. Direct Energy provides customers with choice and support in managing their energy costs through a portfolio of innovative products and services. A subsidiary of Centrica plc (LSE: CNA), one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, Direct Energy operates in 50 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia and 10 provinces in Canada. To learn more about Direct Energy, please visit www.directenergy.com.

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SOURCE Direct Energy

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